Why are people having a pop at Carlo?

One thing that I do find hard to believe is people having a pop at Carlo Ancelotti about the game against Liverpool last Sunday. People have been talking about a lack of ideas, being out classed by Liverpool, being outwitted by Steve Clark and Kenny Dalglish and not having any answer to the problems we were facing during the game.

For me, and I want to reiterate that this is my opinion, I can't understand it. You can sit and study Liverpool and the way they play. No doubt Chelsea had scouts at Anfield for the game leading up to Chelsea at the Bridge and Carlo would be fully aware of how they play and were expected to line up.

You heard Ray Wilkins on SKY after the game talking of how we like to play between the lines of the opposition to find space and to open teams up and create chances by moving the ball quickly. It's my view that this would have been the case all week leading up to Liverpool, and especially after a great performance against Sunderland playing in the formation we did, Carlo would have had every confidence in the formation for it to work against them.

So everything would have been prepared. The players stepped out on that pitch knowing what was required of them for us to win the game and they simply did not deliver or ever look like they were going to.

It was the players and their individual performances that should be questioned and not the manager for christ sake. If anyone else was at the game reading this or saw the game, you would have known within 15-20 minutes of the first half that we had been sucked into playing the opposite of what we have been used to seeing.

Chelsea's game is to press the opposition and force them into mistakes when we haven't got the ball. When we do have the ball, we look to get the ball forward quickly at a high tempo and with people in space, look for the killer ball or pass that leads to an opportunity for a shot on target.

Sunday, Chelsea played the ball slowly, not forward but from side to side. We did that because where we had been fannying about with the bloody ball instead of moving it forward, Liverpool had time to get ten players back behind the ball and close down the space we were looking to exploit.

Our players performance played right into Liverpool's hands. Carlo tried to change it by bringing Kalou on and switching formation but again there was no real urgency in our play until the final ten minutes of the game when we decided to just lump the ball in the box.

The Manager can do everything to prepare the players and get them ready for the game. It's when the players cross that white line they have a choice. Do they want this? Will they give their everything for three points and do we want revenge for what happened earlier in the season?. Unfortunately for us lot sitting there watching, the answer appeared to be "No!".

So do me a favour and back off Carlo!. It's the players who should be called to answer!.

KTBFFH.